Chengdu as a city wasn't high on the tourist trail aside from one major attraction... The giant panda breeding and research centre just outside of town!

The city was modern, had many high rises, big multi lane highways and mainly local neighbourhoods. There was a nice inner city park we visited and some local areas we walked around but just visiting the panda's was worth the visit!

The centre is just outside of town and home to hundreds of giant pandas! They are all ages from new born through to adult and the aim in many cases is for re-release into the wild.

The areas are split dependant on panda age, you can even have access to the new born area and through thick glass see the new born panda's in incubators! Inside this area the keepers are all wearing long scientific clothes and take photos at each stage in the panda's development. In the first few weeks they aren't much bigger than a human hand and are all white in colour but quickly get their black spotted markings and huge size.

The centre was amazing, mainly because panda's are rarely seen anywhere else in the world and to see so many, at so many points in their life was crazy! You could spend some days volunteering there but the cost would have been massive, to hold a baby for a few minutes it was over £200!

Something we wouldn't get the chance to see anywhere else it was well worth heading through Chengdu!

We also had a fun night in the hostel, and a sore head the next morning along with a Russian traveller we met!

Only a few more places to see in China before heading home and so far no where has disappointed!